No Cold Calling Losers Allowed.

March 08, 2013

How to Get TONS of Sales Referrals, Quick & Easy

Yep, it’s true. Getting referrals is easy.

As I wrote you a couple of weeks ago, one of the most common questions I get from salespeople is, “How can I get more referrals?” And in that email, I explained the system I advise for newer salespeople who haven’t yet built up a solid network.

Having said that, there is an even easier – and better – way to get referrals. But rather than explain it literally, let’s visit with our old friends Bill and Joe, two very real salespeople I used to work with, whose names have been changed here for privacy reasons.Bill’s Referral Selling Story

As you know by now, Bill is very much a believer in cold calling. He used to sit in the cubicle right next to mine, and I’d hear him cold calling nonstop – he was really a machine!

Bill made so many cold calls that he really did rack up a decent number of appointments, and through them, he made enough sales to hit his number each month and keep his job. Which I suppose was good enough for him, but I wouldn’t be happy with just getting by – remember when I told you he drove all summer long with no air conditioning due to lack of funds?

In any case, Bill was always a very busy man. Endless cold calls, lots of appointments, and of course the work of processing all those orders and following up with internal staff to make sure they were delivered on time.

This was all well and good, except for one very fatal flaw: Bill’s ever-full schedule never left him with enough time to really follow up with customers, make absolutely sure they were happy, and give them as much extra value as possible! He couldn’t do it, because that wouldn’t leave enough time for all those cold calls each and every day, and then he wouldn’t hit his number and would be out of a job very quickly.

As a result of all this, Bill had no right to ask customers for referrals. Sure, after closing a sale he’d ask, “Do you know anyone who might also need this,” but we all know how poorly that strategy works. Customers don’t like to refer friends and colleagues until you’ve proven that you can deliver on your promises.

And so Bill’s vicious cycle of cold call, appointment, sale, then more cold calls never ended.Joe’s Referral Selling Story

Joe had an entirely different selling style. He didn’t cold call at all. Instead, he used intelligent methods of what I like to call “self-marketing” and positioning himself so he was visible to highly qualified prospects – people who were looking to buy right now.

On top of not having to cold call, Joe was able to sell exponentially more than Bill. This was due to the fact that never having to make cold calls means you recover all those endless hours you would’ve otherwise spent prospecting. Instead of wasting that time looking for someone to sell to, you get to spend it closing sales instead! And isn’t that what we’re paid to do in the first place?

However, that’s not the end of the story. In addition to selling exponentially more than Bill because he had so much more time available, Bill also had a lot more time to spend following up with customers and making absolutely certain they were 100% satisfied.

By doing this, Bill delivered value.

And when you deliver value, you stand out from all other salespeople, in a very big way, because almost no one in sales strives to deliver value.

It’s like Napoleon Hill’s estimate that 98 out of every 100 people won’t go the extra mile; in fact most of them won’t even go the first mile! (Later in his life he said the number is closer to 100 out of 100, with a rare exception here and there.)

Hill explained that going the extra mile is the one thing, above all others, that will always guarantee success, far out of proportion than most people ever dream of. And that same truth applies in sales.

Joe never had to ask for referrals, because his customers willingly offered them – they couldn’t give them to him fast enough!

All because he took the time to visit with customers after the fact to make sure they were happy, and to ask if he could be of any additional service – with no intention or expectation of getting referrals from them.

There you have it: That is the easiest and best way to get TONS of referrals!

However, you have to have enough hours available in your day to do it.

And if you’re wasting endless hours cold calling, you’ll forever be stuck in the same vicious cycle Bill was always stuck in.

But that’s the bad news. Now for the good news:

There’s a way out of cold calling. Lots of them. In fact I’ve assembled them into one package – my Never Cold Call Againsystem – that will get hot, qualfiied prospects calling you, ready to buy right now!

And the best part is you get to try it out, on me, for a full 30 days. If you don’t like it for any reason, simply send it back within 30 days and you’ll never pay a dime. Do it right now:

Remember, there really is an easy way to get tons of endless referrals. But you’ll never have enough time in the day to make it work if you’re stuck cold calling, so break the cold calling cycle right now.

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Frank Rumbauskas is a New York Times Best-Selling Author, one of Fast Company's Most Influential People Online, Winner of Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, The World's Best Sales Trainer, The #1 Sales and Marketing Strategist on the Planet, and a very humble and loving husband, dad to two beautiful daughters, and all around great guy!
To get Frank to explode your organization's sales numbers until your head is spinning, your wallet is bursting at the seams, and everyone thinks you're a genius, contact him at frank@frankr.me